What I Wish I Knew Before Freshman Year of College

What I Wish I Knew Before Freshman Year of College This post, written by tutor and contributing writer Tiffany Sorensen, is part of our 2017 Back-to-School Series. Throughout the month of August, visit the Varsity Tutors blog for back-to-school advice, tips, and tricks for all ages. You might think youre as prepared as possible for college. Perhaps you have listened to the valuable advice of older siblings and high school guidance counselors, or youve read multiple blog posts about what to expect at college. The truth is, though, no matter how prepared you feel, there will still be certain aspects of college that surprise you once you arrive. I wish I had known more about changing my major, understanding the importance of networking, and recognized the reality about student loans. Arriving at college freshman year, it can be frustrating to stumble upon things you arent prepared for. Have no fearit will get easier. Here are a few things I wish I had known before freshman year of college: [RELATED: A Summer Checklist for Incoming College Freshmen] I wish I had known that I might change my major one or more times Some high school students enter college with a pre-declared major. These students often feel confident when starting down this path, but there is no predicting what might happen throughout the four years of your undergraduate career. Your interests might evolve, or you might complete an internship that opens your eyes to a new and exciting field. Perhaps you have dreamed of becoming a medical doctor, and you should certainly entertain that option if you feel a drive to in your heart. Somewhere along the tiring route to medical school, you may be dissuaded by intensive chemistry classes and decide that medicine is not right for you. If such a situation occurs, know that you are far from being alone; quite a few college students switch their majors at least once. To find your true professional passion, take a variety of classes and keep an open mind. More importantly, do not feel discouraged if you need to submit a change of major form. It is far better to re-do a semester of college than to be discontent with your degree forever! [RELATED: How to Create Your First College Schedule] I wish I had known that networking is key In college, learning and socializing are equally important. At your school, aim to broaden your knowledge and to become an expert in your intended field. Meanwhile, create strong connections with like-minded individuals, including: Classmates Professors Advisors. A classmate could prove to be a treasured friend, a professor could guide you and write you a wonderful letter of recommendation, and an advisor could answer key questions about employment and graduate school. A solid academic record is only onealbeit a very substantialpiece of the puzzle that potential employers consider in the hiring process. Networking and making a name for yourself in any organization you are a part of could help move your resume to the top. I wish I had known that I should accrue as little debt as possible According to USA Today, the average student loan debt in the United States is more than $20,000. Although this figure may not seem astronomical, college students should take care to keep their loan debt as low and as manageable as possible. There is only a six-month grace period for most student loans, and it may take six months or longer for college graduates to find employment. It is critical that students be aware of the terms of their loans and whether their loans are subsidized or unsubsidized. With subsidized loans, the federal government pays interest so long as the student is attending college or the loan is in deferment. Unsubsidized loans, by contrast, start accruing interest immediately after the loan is disbursed. The difference between a subsidized and an unsubsidized loan can mean thousands of extra dollars in the long term, so be sure you understand the loan details before you sign any paperwork. Starting college is both a frightful and a stimulating prospect. Consider the advice of seasoned college graduates, but also weigh in your own judgment and experiences as you open this next chapter. Best of luck with your freshman year! [RELATED: 5 College Dorm Room Must-Haves] Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

SAT Exam Scores

SAT Exam Scores SAT Exam is a popular assessment test taken by high school students to showcase their academic knowledge to gain admissions in colleges and universities in the United States. SAT exam is a standardized exam and these scores are recognized by all colleges and universities throughout the United States. SAT exam is designed such that it examines the necessary skills required for college level courses. SAT is conducted many times a year and in order to take the test, students should register online on the website. SAT exam is owned by the College Board and students who want to take the test should register online on the official website of the College Board either by mail or by telephone and follow simple instructions to pay for the test. In SAT exam, there is negative penalty if the students give wrong answer to multiple choice questions. Therefore it is recommended for the students not to guess any answers for unknown questions as the students may lose points from the already existing score for a wrong answer. SAT exam scores are preferred along with the students admission application as they help in analyzing the students academic performance and their conceptual knowledge. The general SAT test contains 3 sections which examine students knowledge in Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing. SAT exam scores are helpful in getting a student selected in a college and if the students focus on basic concepts and are able to manage the given time, then they can achieve good scores on the exam.

12 of the Best Apps to Learn French

12 of the Best Apps to Learn French Sign up successful If you’ve embarked on a journey to learn French, there are some apps that will support you in your endeavor. Here are 12 of the best apps to learn how to speak French. 1) TakeLessons For easily accessible French lessons on the go, the TakeLessons app is the perfect resource no matter your skill level. You can also join free online group classes for your first month as a new student. With the TakeLessons app, you can learn French from a professional no matter where you are. The app is available for both  Android  and  iPhones. 2)  SpeakEasy This offline book of phrases comes in handy when you’re learning French. Use flashcards, basic phrases, numbers, days, greetings, and more. SpeakEasy has a simple and appealing interface that just about any user can navigate. 3)  French Translator Dictionary +   VidaLingua offers the #1 French-English translator and dictionary on iPhones and iPads with advanced features and bonus content. The app also includes a phrasebook, verb conjugator, vocabulary quizzes and flashcards. It allows users to attach notes, audio, and images to dictionary words. This app will become your new favorite learning companion! 4)  Open Language French If you plan on using French in a more formal setting, Open Language French will be the ideal app for you. Geared more toward internationally-accepted foreign language teaching guidelines, you’ll follow a course of instruction thats more linear in nature. It may not be as fun as playing games, but Open Language French is one of the most comprehensive language learning apps out there. 5)  MindSnacks MindSnacks has won awards for best educational app, and it continues to delight users with a fun and lighthearted teaching style. Designed by experts, MindSnacks manages to make learning French exciting and addictive. Grammar, context and real-world vocabulary has never been so entertaining. 6)  FluentU One thing often heard from foreign language learners is how much TV, movies, and videos helped them learn a new language. Maybe it’s seeing things acted out as they’re spoken, or perhaps it’s the nuances in peoples expressions. Whatever the reason, FluentU is a video-based learning app that teaches language through cool real videos from around the world. 7)  MOSAlingua There are over 3000 phrases to learn on MOSAlingua’s app. The timed repetition has proven effective for many users, and you can easily change levels as you progress. The app was designed to save time, money, and keep you motivated. Think of it as a personal language coach in your pocket. 8)  Memrise Are you someone who likes to laugh and finds humor the best method for learning? If you are, Memrise is probably the ideal foreign language app for you. It uses quirky concepts and hilarious images to get you speaking French in no time. You can even compete with friends to see who can reach language goals first. 9)  Busuu Busuu is basically a social network for learning French and other languages. There are both adult and kid versions to download. Use the games and audio grammar lessons, or reach out to someone in the Busuu community for help. 10)  HiNative Not every tip is available through learning courses. Sometimes the best answers come from those who actually speak the language. Get the HiNative app so you can receive answers to all your French language questions from the people who actually speak it daily. 11)  Brainscape Flashcards can be an incredibly useful tool for learning a new skill. If you want to create your own French flashcards, Brainscape is an app that will allow you to do so. You can also look for already-made flashcards that work well for you. Use the app for French, or any other subject you’re interested in learning. 12)  Babbel Babbel combines its mobile app with its website to form an excellent foreign language learning platform. You’ll be able to polish your pronunciation, learn new phrases, conjugate your verbs, and more in this top-rated program. The goal is to retain the information in your long-term memory so you can use your new French language skills for years to come. Technology brings forth innovative ways for all types of students to learn and acquire a new language. Use these best apps for learning French in your daily life when you have a spare moment. It’s a great way to support learning French. Between classes, private lessons, conversational meet-ups, and a few apps, you’ll have French down before you know it. Bonne chance! What helps you study French? Share  your favorite apps, games, and study guides in the comments below! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

A Day in the Life at Williams College

A Day in the Life at Williams College The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Drew is a Chicago tutor and 2013 graduate of Williams College. He holds a Bachelors degree in French Literature English Literature and specializes inmany subjects including French tutoring, ACT prep tutoring, AP U.S. History tutoring, and much more. Check out what he had to say about Williams College: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Drew: The campus is self-contained in a rural setting. While this can make it difficult to travel to and from Williamstown, the college ensures that everything we need is available on campus. Everything is in walking distance, and Williams College provides ample dining options and events. The gorgeous mountains and the attachment to a campus social life is what makes Williams College so special, so there is really no need for a car or for mass transit. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Drew: I found my professors to be very approachable. The small class sizes ensure that professors and students interact, and after class they are just as willing to meet and help with whatever issues you may have. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Drew: I loved the social life at Williams College. Almost every single student lives in a dorm and eats most of his or her meals in a dining hall, which leads to a terrific atmosphere. School-sponsored functions are open to all students, and it is easy to make friends and find groups to be a part of. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Drew: As a liberal arts school, Williams College places emphasis on a well rounded education, and I found that the school did a good job encouraging students to try new subjects and departments regardless of their academic background. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Drew: One of my favorite things about Williams College was the freshman entry system, which provides layers of support and attempts to expose students to geographic, socioeconomic, and racial diversity. Our junior advisors (JAs) are not like resident assistants you see elsewhere. Instead, this highly coveted position goes to those who want to mentor and dedicate their time to freshmen. They are given extensive resources just to plan events and to help new students feel at home. I loved it. There is no Greek life. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Drew: Career Services is great. I did not end up taking advantage of them until senior year, but when I did, I found the staff incredibly approachable. There were also numerous workshops, career fairs, and companies recruiting on campus. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Drew: The study areas are great. As I have mentioned, the social life is self-contained, so libraries and the student union are the places to gather, work, and spend time. Williams College does a good job of providing work space. Also, they just opened a gorgeous new library. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Drew: The downtown area, Spring Street, is right in the middle of campus. For those looking to get off campus, Williams College is not the place to go. However, the town is lovely, with great restaurants, and the Berkshires are gorgeous. It is not uncommon to go on hikes and jogs and to cross many other students enjoying the scenery, as well. Lastly, there are several fantastic art museums in the area. So between all of that, the work, and Williams College events, I never felt bored. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Drew: The student body is small. I was incredibly pleased with the class sizes and the professorial interaction afforded by them. By the time I graduated, I was taking several classes with no more than ten people. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Drew: My senior year I took a Molire class that included acting out scenes across campus in front of a crowd. As a French Literature and English Literature major, I had written my share of papers and was used to discussing literature. However, I had never dreamed of acting. Even though it was terrifying, I had a blast. And more importantly, by approaching drama in a holistic way, as opposed to just as a reader, I gained further insights into the drama theory we discussed in class. It was a fun activity that ended up giving me more insight into readings and theory than I had ever dreamed of having. Check out Drews tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Monocot Root Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Monocot Root Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace The parts of the plant which are seen under the soil are called the roots. They absorb water and minerals from the soil and fix the plant firmly to the soil. Monocot roots are fibrous roots. The radicle gives rise to the main root soon replaced by a cluster of roots from the base. The transverse section of monocot root shows three distinct region-piliferous layer, cortex and stele. Piliferous layer: It is the outermost layer, made up of single layered thin walled living cells. The stomata and cuticle are absent. Cortex: Immediately beneath the epidermis is a massive cortex lies consisting of thin walled parenchyma cells having sufficiently developed intercellular spaces among them. The sclerenchyma cells are commonly found in the cortex of monocotyledons. The inner most layer of the cortex is the endodermis which is composed of barrel shaped compact cells having no intercellular spaces among them. The endodermal cells possess casparian strips on their anticlinal walls. The cells opposite to protoxylem cells remain thin walled without casparian thickenings and are called passage cells. The passage cells allow the passage of water from the cortical cells to the xylem. Stele: The stele consists of pericycle, vascular tissues, conjunctive tissue and pith. The pericycle is single layered and parenchymatous.The cells in the pericycle contain abundant protoplasm. The lateral roots are originated from the pericycle. Vascular tissues are xylem and phloem. In monocot root the xylem and phloem occur as separate bundles. The xylem and phloem bundles are equal in number. They are arranged on different radii. Such an arrangement of vascular tissue is called radial. The xylem bundle consists of protoxylem and metaxylem.Protoxylem lies towards the periphery and metaxylem towards the centre.This condition is called exarch. The number of xylem vessels in each bundle is limited. The conjunctive tissue and pith are seen. The pith is parenchymatous and, large and well developed.

5 Keys to Effective Online Calculus Tutoring

5 Keys to Effective Online Calculus Tutoring Improving Academic Performance Sam Ribnick is an online MyGuru tutor for calculus and physics. He attended MIT where he received a Bachelor of Science in Physics, and is a high school physics teacher in Boston Public Schools. He has tutored students online and in person on subjects including AP calculus, AP and IB physics, multi-variable calculus and introductory college physics. Last semester I worked with a student taking a college multi-variable calculus class, and it was one of the most successful and fulfilling tutoring relationships I have had. We “met” two times a week using MyGuru’s online meeting system, and I was able to help her understand the concepts behind double integrals, Green’s Theorem and partial derivatives. Done right, online tutoring can be even more effective than face-to-face tutoring. The most important thing is finding an excellent tutor, but there is a lot you can do as the student to get the most out of your online tutoring. Here are 5 keys for you to keep in mind: Send a link to the class website. First thing, send the tutor a link to any class websites or textbooks available online. You may need to send your login information. Remember to set the password to something different from your usual password (use something simple like “tutor123”). If the textbook is not available online, send the tutor the title, author and edition - sometimes the tutor will be able to find the book online or in a library nearby. Take notes! The tutor will be writing on the screen, but you will still need the old-fashioned pen, paper and calculator. Prepare for an online session the same way you would for face-to-face. Have your textbook, notebook and other materials handy. And when your tutor shows you how to calculate that tricky volume integral, make sure you write it down! Try the problems and share your work. Just like with face-to-face tutoring, the amount you learn depends on how much effort you put in! If you struggled to understand partial derivatives in lecture, make sure that you attempt a few problems before you meet with the tutor. Then use your phone’s camera to snap a photo of the work and email it to the tutor before the session. The tutor will be able to give you more specific help after seeing what you’ve tried and where you got stuck. You talk, the tutor writes. The tutor can’t see what you write on your paper, so you will need to explain your steps out loud while she writes on the screen. It might sound complicated to explain how you did an integral, but it actually can be a huge boost to your learning. When you explain your steps out loud, you clarify your own understanding, and you give the tutor insight into your thinking so she can correct any misunderstandings. Stay focused! Are you easily distracted by facebook and online games? Keep them closed!! If you find you are getting lost or bored, tell your tutor or even request a different tutor. With a good tutor, calculus should be interesting and engaging, but it’s your job to stay focused! Meeting online is not the same as meeting face-to-face, but I have found that online tutoring can have a lot of benefits over face-to-face. With online tutoring you can usually record the session, or have your tutor send you the notes after the session. This is a great way to get the most out of your tutoring time, giving you a chance to review that tricky triple integral one more time! Click here to see the specific types of online tutoring we offer! hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});

Should you tutor your own family

Should you tutor your own family Super-tutor Mark Maclaine opens up discussion on the highly debated topic of whether tutoring should happen within the family. A few years ago I tried tutoring one of my cousins, and to say it was a failure would be a huge understatement. We’d always got on well but this normally well behaved 9-year old turned into a monster, and my usually calm demeanor disappeared into thin air. After two days it became clear that there was little possibility of him doing any work with me so I had to find another tutor. This tutor got on very well with my cousin; so well in fact that they were able to get through double the amount of work that we had in only half the time. I found myself somewhat deflated and slightly confused. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Seven years later, and in hindsight, I can see why it didn’t work. It is not unusual for people to find tutoring their own families difficult. In fact, this problem is remarkably common. I do know parents who have successfully home-schooled their own children, but I know far more who have failed miserably; even just helping with homework seemed to them like getting blood out of a stone. I spoke recently with performance coach Gary Leboff. He recounts that in his work “”the biggest mistake you can make as a parent is to care too much. You will end up putting too much pressure on your child.” He goes on to say, “from a coach’s point of view, you do need to care, but from a detached perspective.” I’ve heard a great number of ideas proposed for why it is so hard to work with your own family. Whatever the reason, I know first-hand how hard it can be. I’d like to open up the discussion on this post. Have you got any experiences of tutoring your own family or close friends? Please include both good and bad experiences, and tell us what has worked particularly well for you.

How to start the school year right

How to start the school year right Teachers in many countries across the world go back to school this week and next week. For all of our teachers at home and overseas, good luck in the new school year, and remember these tips to start the year off right!Introduce yourself - Every teacher has a different level of comfort with how familiar they are willing to be with their students, and it’s up to you to decide how much personal information you choose to share with your class. However, letting your students know a little about yourself - your interests and hobbies, what you did with your summer, your pets - can set a welcoming atmosphere and ease first-day jitters for students. Other slightly more unconventional facts about yourself might include your least favorite food, a bad habit you have, or the most interesting place you've ever visited.Get to know your students - Have your students share the above information with you! Icebreaker questions get students smiling and help you learn more about their personalities. For a challenge, ask students to share something unique about themselves that they think is true for only them and no one else in the class. You'll learn which student raises pet tarantulas, which one has twelve brothers and sisters, and which one has a fear of butterflies.Learn names as quickly as possible - Some teachers are better than others when it comes to memorization. During the first few days, use a labeled seating chart and say students’ names out loud every time you speak to them in order to commit them to memory. This is crucial to establishing classroom order.Reinforce your goals - Before your students arrive on the first day of school, remind yourself of your short-term and long-term goals for the school year. Repeat throughout the day, and every day of your first week, in order to maintain the right perspective and outlook for the year.Remember to breathe - The first day of school is hectic for everyone. As a teacher, you might be feeling even more stress than your students. Not only is it your responsibility to ease your students into the new year, but you have the added burden of needing to do so while also setting the tone of your classroom and establishing authority. Not an easy task! Whether you’re teaching kindergarten or high school, don’t let first-day nerves overwhelm you. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that things will have settled down tomorrow.Have your own tips? Share your ideas with us below! We'd love to hear your first-day-of-school classroom activities.